


Neliödraama

by ThoseDaysThatWill



Category: Men's Hockey RPF
Genre: Carolina Hurricanes, Dallas Stars, Fade to Black, Finnish WJC gold-medal-winning Squad, Infidelity, M/M, Offseason Shenanigans, Polyamory, Polyamory Negotiations, These Boys are a MESS, emotionally stunted idiots, love quadrangle
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-30
Updated: 2019-07-30
Packaged: 2020-07-27 03:20:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,700
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20039065
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ThoseDaysThatWill/pseuds/ThoseDaysThatWill
Summary: “Who were you talking about me to?” Miro gestured to the phone on the table.“Sepe.” Roope kept his tone purposefully neutral, watching to see how Miro would react to his name.He didn’t disappoint, wrinkling his nose, probably unintentionally, “Oh. He doesn’t like me.”Roope laughed, “About as much as Eeli likes me.”Miro cocked his head to the side, “Is it the same thing?”





	Neliödraama

**Author's Note:**

> This is set in mid-July 2019, in Tampere, Finland. 
> 
> All dialogue would be in Finnish, but your babel fish has kindly translated it for you.

"This better be good." Roope's voice was groggy. He hadn't looked at the caller ID, he'd only answered the phone to make the ringing stop. The sound was echoing off the hangover that had set up a construction site on his head. He didn't remember taking his phone off vibrate, but somehow it had woken him up all the same. He rubbed his eyes with the heel of his hand, hoping that would help. It didn’t.

"First of all, it's noon," Sebastian's voice was far too cheerful, "And second, it's always worth it when I call." 

Roope didn’t want to admit that both of those point were valid, so he didn’t. "Hang on." With a soft groan, he hauled himself out of bed, careful not to jostle the mattress, letting his companion sleep longer. He closed the bedroom door behind him, before dropping on the living room couch. He hadn’t bothered to put clothes on, but that was one of the advantages of living alone. "What do you want?"

He laughed, "Why are you being such a bastard to me?" 

Roope sighed, debating whether to be sarcastic or tell the truth. "I'm hungover." He admitted, too tired to lie.

Sebastian scoffed, "Don't you always say you don't _get _hungover?" 

"Yeah, I don't. _Usually_. But you have no idea how _much _he can drink! More than me. _Way _more than you. You would have passed out cold halfway through last night." Roope stretched out on the couch, closing his eyes. That helped the pounding headache. "And you wouldn't think he can drink like that. I mean _look _at him! But truth is that he's a fish. And he brought vodka. Since it was for his birthday, I drank it, but I don't do well on that shit. I swear they make it just to kill us."

He could _hear _Sebastian rolling his eyes, "You were drunk under the table by a _teenager_.”

“He’s twenty now.” Roope pointed out.

Sebastian ignored that, “Did you at least fuck him? Or could you not get it up after all that alcohol?" 

Roope started to flip him off, forgetting he couldn't be seen. He switched that to verbal, "Fuck you. Yeah, I had him. _All night_. He's still in my bed."

Sebastian snorted, "Tied up? Keeping him there for me?"

"Oh, don't you wish. Tied up is the only way _you'd_ get any from him. He really doesn't like you." Roope laughed, "I have no idea why."

"Neither do I. I'm a hell of a guy. Everyone on _my _team loves me. I don't know what's wrong with _your_ people unless you’re saying shit about me behind my back." There was the slightest edge to his voice.

“I don’t talk about you too much.” If that was true or a not, Roope wasn’t admitting. "Besides, they don't _all _dislike you. Esa likes you fine." 

Sebastian scoffed, "We don't go by what Esa thinks, he fucks Swedes." 

"Oh yeah, good point." Roope paused a moment, "Tyler once said he would have banged you back in the day. But then Tyler banged everyone back in the day, I guess, so that's not really a ringing endorsement either."

"Well... I wouldn't turn Tyler down." Sebastian pointed out. 

Roope laughed, "Sepe, baby, Jamie would _murder _you if you even _looked _twice at him. He wouldn't even break a sweat, and I wouldn’t stop him." 

Sebastian scoffed, "Well... maybe. Think he'd be worth it?"

Roope paused to think about this, “Yeah. I mean from what I’ve seen in the locker room, and what I’ve _heard_… he probably would be worth it. Just _looking _at Tyler, you can tell he’s a good fuck, and I’ve never seen Jamie sit comfortably since I’ve been on the team.”

Sebastian laughed, “For some reason, I’m too busy to notice these things when I’m in Dallas.”

“You don’t sit comfortably when you’re in town either.” Roope retorted.

“Neither do _you_.” He pointed out.

“That’s one of my favorite things about you.”

“That I fuck you well?”

“That you _switch_.”

Sebastian verbally rolled his eyes, “Miro doesn’t know where to put it, does he?”

“He probably fucks Eeli, but not me.”

“Why not let him?”

Roope shrugged, “I never said he couldn’t. Remember every time we fuck, it’s an ‘accident’ or I seduced him.”

Sebastian groaned, “He’s _still _pretending that he doesn’t cheat on Eeli?”

“Uh huh. He was with him on his actual birthday. He came to see me after.”

Sebastian scoffed, “That’s kinda shitty when you think about it.”

Roope paused for just a second before he admitted, “I know.”

“I’m glad I don’t have to deal with that bullshit.”

Roope rolled his eyes, “Who the fuck would _want _your boy besides you?”

“It’s so funny how _jealous _you are of him.”

“I have no reason to be. So, fuck you.” His tone was nearly a growl, but he noticed it too late to stop it. The truth was that he _was_ jealous of Sebastian’s relationship with Teuvo, but only in the sense that he wasn’t completely confident that he wouldn’t decide that he was _all_ he needed. He couldn’t have cared less if he slept with him, it was emotions that caused a problem.

Sebastian laughed, “I’ll be there in half an hour, and you can.”

Roope sat up abruptly, “You’re coming here? _Now?_ Already bored with your boy?”

“I missed you, asshole. Though I’m starting to wonder _why_.” He snapped. “I didn’t know I was stepping in on your time with the _kid_. If you don’t want me to come there, just say that.”

Roope sighed, “Sepe?”

“Yeah?”

“I love you.”

Sebastian sighed deeply, his shoulders dropping, “I love you too. You’re still an asshole.”

“You wouldn’t love me if I wasn’t.” Roope laughed, leaning back against the couch. 

The momentary tension gone, his voice took up its familiar teasing edge, “Mmm, maybe I’m starting to have a thing for nice guys. Teukka is a nice guy.”

Roope scoffed, “And that’s why you flew down here to see me. You get _bored _with nice. I know you. Sometimes you need a good fuck and _Teukka _isn’t going to do that for you.”

Sebastian echoed his scoff right back at him, “What about _you?_ I can’t imagine Miro even _says _fuck, not to mention doing it.”

Roope laughed, “He can, but it takes a little prodding.”

“Everything with him takes some prodding. Doesn’t it get frustrating to have to seduce him _every _time you want to fuck?” There was something in Sebastian’s voice, Roope noticed. He wasn’t sure if it was the same thing in his own voice when they talked about Teuvo, or if that was just wishful thinking. But all the same, there was something there.

He shrugged, “Sometimes.”

“Then why do it?” Sebastian asked, “Do you have _feelings _for him?”

Roope didn’t answer.

The silence hung in the air for a moment. Then Sebastian spoke, “_Oh_.”

Roope sighed, “Maybe. Do you tell _Teukka _that you love him?”

Sebastian didn’t answer right away, and when he did, his voice was soft, “Yes.”

“_Do_ you?”

“Yes.”

Roope hung up and tossed his phone on the coffee table. Usually when he asked that, Sebastian deferred or made a joke out of it. It wasn’t that he didn’t know there were feelings involved, he’d figured that out a while ago, but to hear him actually _admit_ it out loud stung. He couldn’t pretend he didn’t know if he said it out there like that. He understood that it was the pot calling the kettle black, but that didn’t exactly make him feel better about it. He ran a hand through his hair, looking anywhere but at his phone.

He hadn’t known Miro was listening in, but he didn’t startle when he came to sit next to him. Miro had put on a pair of pajama pants and a Stars t-shirt that could have belonged to either of them. His clothes made Roope all the more aware of how naked he was. Though it didn’t bother him, he still noticed it. “How much did you hear?”

Miro shrugged, “Not much. Were you talking about me?”

Roope nodded, “Some.” He reached over, smoothing out Miro’s hair, disheveled from sleep. “How’s your head?”

He laughed, “Fine. How’s yours? You were pretty drunk last night.”

“I told you I don’t do well with vodka. But I’m fine, just a little hungover.” Roope tugged a little on his hair before letting his hand fall back into his lap, “Are you hungry?”

“Not really. Who were you talking about me to?” Miro gestured to the phone on the table.

“Sepe.” Roope kept his tone purposefully neutral, watching to see how Miro would react to his name.

He didn’t disappoint, wrinkling his nose, probably unintentionally, “Oh. He doesn’t like me.”

Roope laughed, “About as much as Eeli likes me.”

Miro cocked his head to the side, “Is it the same thing?”

Roope paused. That wasn’t a fair question at all. He didn’t know exactly how long Miro and Eeli had been dating, but he’d been in the picture back when they played for HIFK, so it’d been a few years. Even back then, Miro had used the word ‘boyfriend’ when talking about him. Roope and Sebastian had never used any word even close to that. They’re… _friends_. But now that all of their friends were pairing off, they seemed to be pressing the word towards them all the more. Roope didn’t know if he was resisting it on principal or for some other reason. It wasn’t supposed to be a big deal what they called their relationship. They were hardly exclusive, but they knew they loved each other, and that was what mattered. But hearing Sebastian said he _loves _someone else, Miro’s question hit all the harder.

“No, it’s not.” He shook his head.

Miro nodded a little, the expression on his face just this side of saying ‘I knew that’. He took in a deep breath, “I wanted to talk to you about something. But… can I ask you a favor first?”

Roope raised an eyebrow, “You can ask.”

Miro’s cheeks pinked, “Can you put pants on?”

Roope laughed, “Am I distracting you?”

Miro ducked his head, “_Yes_. A lot.”

Roope reached over to him, touching his cheek, gently pulling him into a sweet kiss. He felt Miro lean into him, sliding a hand up to tangle into his hair, sighing softly. Even after it had gone on for a bit, neither were willing to pull away from the kiss just yet, not quite sure when the next time they would be able to do this would be. But at the same time, there was no rush to amp up the kiss, or the moment. It was enough to simply enjoy the feelings they shared.

Roope was the first to pull back, smiling at the small whimper that elicited from Miro, “I’ll be right back. Don’t go anywhere.”

Miro only nodded, but Roope didn’t expect more. It always took him a few moments to get his speech back after they kissed. Especially a kiss like that. Truth be told, most of their kisses were like that. They didn’t do it that often, but when they did… it was something. That was part of their problem.

Once in his bedroom, he searched the drawers for another pair of clean pajama pants. He didn’t own too many, since he didn’t wear them. He wasn’t a fan of wearing anything to bed, if he could help it, but shorts were enough for when he landed a road roommate that minded. Eventually he came up with a pair of pants and stepped into them. They were snug, clearly not his own, though whose they were was a mystery to him. He didn’t think too hard on it before heading back out into the living room and retaking his seat beside Miro.

“What did you want to talk about?” He asked.

Miro sighed, “I’m sorry I keep putting you in this position. Every time we do this, I say that we’re not going to do it anymore, that I don’t want to do this to you, and I don’t want to do it to Eeli. So, I was going to just stay in Espoo, and not come up here. But… it was my birthday and I was with Eeli and I was… _missing_ you.” He sighed again, “I’m sorry.”

Roope smiled, “I’m glad you came. I was missing you, too.”

“I never meant to…” Miro trailed off, looking down at his hands in his lap.

“Fall for me?” Roope asked. At Miro’s nod, he continued, “I never meant to fall for you either.”

He looked up at him, “You fell for me?”

Roope nodded, “Of course I did. Couldn’t you tell that last night?”

Miro took in a sharp breath, “You-- _Oh_. I was afraid that…” He huffed, “I’m so _bad _at this!”

Roope laughed, “It’s okay. Just tell me how you feel about me.”

Miro’s eyes snapped to his, “You want me to do that in _words? _That’s a terrible idea. _You’re_ a terrible idea! I’m usually so sure and I always know what I’m doing. I have no problem talking to anyone. And then I get around you and I fall all over my words and I can’t even look at you for too long because, oh god, you’re so _beautiful_.”

“That was—” Roope switched into English, “--_pretty good_.”

Miro swatted at his arm, “Stop that. You are so frustrating! You sit there and you smirk at me and my brain goes all stupid.”

Roope couldn’t help but smirk, the suggestion was too strong. “I think you’re beautiful, too.”

Miro scoffed, “I can’t talk to you if you’re not going to be serious!”

Roope put a hand on Miro’s cheek, turning him to meet his eyes. The smirk faded into a genuine smile, “I think you’re _beautiful_.”

Miro’s eyes went wide, and his breath caught in his throat, “Oh god, please don’t do this to me.”

Roope sighed, letting his hand fall back into his lap. “What do you want, Miro? I understood what this was when it was just happening in Dallas once in a while. You have your boyfriend here at home, and me during the season when you got horny. And that’s _fine_. But then you show up on my doorstep, saying you _wanted_ to spend your birthday with me, but you _couldn’t_. You _could_. You _didn’t_. And I didn’t expect you to. But I didn’t expect you to say you _wanted _to either. I don’t know what to do with you. Sepe asked me if I had feelings for you. I didn’t know what to say. Of _course _I do, but how do I admit that? Yeah, I have feelings, but I’m his affair. I don’t think so. And I don’t care if I _am _your affair, but don’t _pretend_. Don’t pretend there’s something here more than sex when there obviously isn’t.”

Miro just stared at him, silent.

Roope let his shoulders drop, sighing, “I’m going to go get a drink.” He stood, not looking at Miro.

“I think I love you.” Miro said it quickly, clearly before he could change his own mind.

Roope sat back down abruptly, “You _what?_”

Miro hesitated but then took in a deep breath and said, “I love you.”

“Oh _fuck_.” Roope let out a slow breath, “I love you, too.”

The sound that came from Miro was nearly a gasp, “You _do?_”

Roope nodded slowly, “Yes. I think… I think I have for a long time.”

The season Miro had been promoted to HIFK, Roope had just come off winning World Juniors Gold and one hell of a whirlwind summer. He and Sebastian had nearly spent nearly the whole time in each other’s pockets, head over heels for each other, and it had been amazing. They hadn’t put a title on it, but the word love was offered up easily. Then Sebastian had gone off to the NHL, while Roope was spending another year at home. (Or at least as ‘home’ as Helsinki could be, which wasn’t very.) They had been drafted the same year, only fourteen picks apart, in the second round, though Sebastian had always been the better player.

Carolina wanted him that next season, while Dallas thought Roope needed to work on a few things. That didn’t taste nearly as bitter as how often Sebastian would talk about how _great_ it was to have quickly found such a good friend that spoke their language and understood the pride of what they had done the season before. (Teuvo had won WJC Gold with Esa a few years before, Roope later found out. As a matter of fact, he had played with Esa since they were practically kids. That didn’t mean anything at the time but would be useful later.) As Sebastian’s calls became more infrequent, Roope found himself growing closer to the soft-spoken, but not shy, defenseman on his team.

Of course, Roope had wanted him right away, but the first time they slept together had been Miro’s idea. Or so he thought anyway. His boyfriend had been playing for a USHL team and they hadn’t seen each other in a while, Miro explained. They could never do it again, he told him. Eeli would never know, Roope promised. And he kept that promise. They weren’t as good about the ‘never again’ concept, though. There were many times that Roope wanted to tell Eeli _just _to break them up, but he never did. Eventually, Eeli found out anyway.

To Roope’s surprise, it didn’t break them up. For a while, Miro was on his best behavior, and Roope did what he could to respect that, even if he didn’t want to. But it wasn’t as if he was sitting around pining. He was doing the farthest thing from it, so he couldn’t blame Miro for backing further away from him. It was fine, he told himself, because he didn’t want to settle down with any one person anyway, no matter who it was. It was fine that Sebastian couldn’t stop talking about his new lover, it was fine that Miro wanted to stay with his boyfriend. It was all _fine_.

When Miro was drafted to Dallas—of _all_ places!—that summer, it felt like fate was smacking him in the face. Roope had been planning the move to Texas all summer and to see that Miro would be eventually joining him gave him a rush of emotions that surprised even him. Of course, he told no one about it (except Ville, but since he could read Roope like a book, there was no point in hiding anything from him) and tried to ignore it as best he could, but thoughts of what that could mean kept creeping into his mind. Miro wouldn’t be coming right over, though, and he was hardly the only fish in the sea. Roope had a whole new team to get to know, and an NHL team to make. He tried to put his complete focus on that. It wasn’t until the middle of the next season (the middle of Sebastian’s third year) that he cracked the Stars roster, but that was _fine_ too.

Roope had told Sebastian that he didn’t care how close he got to Teuvo, and in turn Sebastian prodded Roope to pursue Miro harder. But at the same time, they took every opportunity to insult the other’s choice or taste, and to see each other whenever they could. If they were in a relationship (and Jesse _insisted _that they were, whether they thought so or not), it was a _very_ open one. He enjoyed the teammates that would allow it and flirted with the ones that wouldn’t. He looked forward to playing Colorado and Edmonton, and even Winnipeg though neither of his friends there were any fun. His two games against Carolina meant more to him than he was willing to admit (even if both were shutouts against), and if he hit Teuvo a little harder than necessary, it was purely by accident. _Especially_ after he and Sebastian celebrated a goal that they both assisted on.

For a while, he had been distracted away from both Sebastian and Miro, but he knew that Mats wouldn’t be around long, and he managed not to get too attached. He was fun while it lasted, but not being Finnish meant it wasn’t ever going to be anything more than that. No matter what Patrik said, being ‘Nordic’ didn’t count. Besides, if Mikko was to be believed, Mats had something complicated and French out his way. And Roope had enough complications of his own, he didn’t need anyone else’s. He and Miro slept together a few times over the course of the season, but more often than not, it was just sexually charged inuendo and flirting. This was why Roope had been so surprised when Miro showed up, unannounced, on his doorstep two days after his twentieth birthday.

“What about Sebastian?” Miro asked, the notes of surprise still in his voice.

“Yes,” A new voice chimed in from the doorway, “What _about _Sebastian?”

Roope didn’t need to look to know who it was, but all the same, his eyes snapped up and he held them there, not saying a word. He hadn’t heard the door, but he wasn’t surprised that Sebastian had let himself in and eavesdropped, that was very much his way. And he had a point. It was a good question coming from Miro, but it was an impossible one coming from Sebastian himself.

Sebastian stood up to every inch of his not-quite-six-feet, “Should I have knocked?” He still held his keyring in his hand, purposefully showing off the housekey for Miro’s benefit. Roope had given it to him the day he signed the lease.

“You have a key for a reason.” Roope replied, keeping his voice casual.

Sebastian moved farther into the room, taking a seat in the chair beside the couch, “Usually so you can sleep late, and I can join you in bed.” His eyes were on Roope, but every word was very purposefully thrown at Miro. “It would have been crowded in there today.”

Roope sighed, “_Sepe_.”

Sebastian rolled his eyes a little, leaning back in his chair, “I know. You’re going to say that I have no room to talk.”

“Well, you _don’t_.” Roope was very aware of Miro looking between them, but he hadn’t taken his eyes off Sebastian. “We need to talk.”

Miro sat up a little straighter, placing a hand on Roope’s thigh, “I’m going to go shower. I won’t listen, talk about me all you want.” He gave him a smile, just this side of teasing, probably more confident than he felt, as he stood up to head down the hall.

Roope returned the smile, “Thanks.”

“Towels are in the hall closet to the right of the bedroom,” Sebastian called after Miro.

Miro paused at the top of the hall, but didn’t turn around, “_I know_.”

Roope didn’t say anything, but the truth was, unless he’d been snooping, he didn’t know. That didn’t matter though, he understood that Miro couldn’t let Sebastian get away with that, and part of Roope enjoyed the exchange from both sides. Once he heard the bathroom door close, he turned his attention on Sebastian, “Are you going to sit over there?”

Sebastian thought about it for a moment before he stood up, taking his time to walk the three steps over to the couch. Instead of taking the seat beside him, he straddled his lap, bracing himself on his shoulders, “Close enough?”

Roope wrapped his arms around him, sliding his hand up under his t-shirt, just for the skin-on-skin contact, “You are such a bastard.” His tone was laced with more affection that than phrase should have been able to contain.

“You wouldn’t want me any other way.” He smirked, leaning in to kiss him, sliding his hands up into his hair. There wasn’t anything slow or sweet about the kiss, it was deep and passionate all at once. They were used to not having enough time together to take things slowly. There were a lot of emotions to pack into every encounter.

Roope moaned into the kiss, digging his fingernails into Sebastian’s sides in response to the feeling of his hair being pulled. Kissing Sebastian was nothing at all like kissing Miro. While Miro was slow and soft, Sebastian came on like pure fire. He did nothing at all halfway, even to start. There was no buildup, it was all there for him if he could handle it or not. And Roope could, in spades. He wanted more and told him so in the way he kissed him back.

But rather than the more he had demanded, Sebastian pulled back far too soon, gasping for breath, “Don’t hang up on me again.”

Roope blinked his eyes open, holding Sebastian’s for a long silent moment, gathering his senses back. He could hardly call him out _now _on the reason he’d hung up in the first place, and Sebastian knew that. He’d been eavesdropping through more than just the question, and now they both now knew more than they wanted to know about the other. Sebastian dared him to be a hypocrite and Roope didn’t take the challenge, instead lowering his eyes for just a moment, “Okay.”

Sebastian took in a deep breath and slid off his lap, sitting on the couch beside him. And in that moment, Roope was glad he had put on pants. All the same, Sebastian’s eyes searched out the physical effects of their kiss. “Those are my pants.”

“Yeah? I knew they weren’t mine.” Roope shrugged. “You must have left them here.”

“I thought Teukka took them. They wouldn’t fit him either.” He slid a finger under the waistband, “They’re going to leave a mark. And since when do you wear pajama pants?”

Roope laughed, “Miro asked me not to be naked so we could talk.”

“_Kids_ today.” Sebastian scoffed. “What did he want to talk about?”

Roope gave him a look, “You heard.”

“You _love _him.” The look on his face showed how foul the words tasted in his mouth.

“Yeah, I do.” Roope sighed, “I love you, too.”

Sebastian nearly rolled his eyes, “I know _that_. But you hung up on me because of what I said, and now this?”

“Well, it’s one thing if it’s me, but I don’t want _you _to feel that way about someone else.” The words came out before Roope could stop them, but they were the honest truth.

Sebastian laughed a little, “I feel the same way. I know _I _can handle this. But you? Your judgment sucks.”

Roope rolled his eyes, “Only _one _of us dated Jesse.”

Sebastian scoffed, “I was _fourteen_. And he wasn’t always so…”

“Yes, he was. And Esa has stories about _Teukka, _too. So, it’s _your_ judgement that sucks.” Roope pointed out.

“_Clearly_. I fell in love with _you_.” Sebastian countered quickly.

Roope gave him a small shove, despite the fact he walked right into that. “Fuck you.” After a beat, he asked, softly, “Are you still in love with me?”

Sebastian rolled his eyes, “_Oh god_, of course I am.”

If he had been holding his breath waiting to hear that answer, he’d never admit it. “So, what do we do now?”

Sebastian curled against him, placing a kiss on his bare shoulder. “Tell him if he shows up in Tampere again, I’m going to murder him.” His tone was casual, but Roope could hear the edge of sincerity in it, and he liked it.

He laughed, wrapping an arm around him, just casually tracing patterns on his back because his hands were never still for long. “So, you’re telling me _Teukka_ hasn’t been up to Oulu all summer?”

Sebastian shook his head, “He hasn’t. I’ve been hanging out with Jesse and some other guys.”

“So _that’s _why you flew down here.” Roope tugged his shirt up, so he could run his hand over his bare back instead and smiled when Sebastian sat up long enough to pull his shirt off over his head before settling back into his spot.

He scoffed, “I told you I missed you. But we need to rework this plan. I’m not saying don’t fuck him and I know you agree, but this doesn’t work. I’m not going to call ahead to see if your time has been booked. I barely get to see you all season, and he gets you every day. I’m not letting him take my time now. And before you even say it, I know Teukka’s the same.”

“We could do what Kasperi does.” Roope offered, “The summer is ours; the season is theirs. Except when you’re in my city or I’m in yours.“

Sebastian was silent for a moment, thinking about this. “That… that could work. I told Teukka that my summers were just busy, but it’s not like he doesn’t know about you. But, I’m still going to call you during the season. I don’t want you to get the idea that you could be happy with just _Miro_.”

Roope scoffed a laugh, “Are you kidding? That’s what I was thinking _you _were going to do. Especially after what you said at Sami’s.”

Sebastian picked his head up, “Do you know I’ve loved you since we were sixteen?”

Roope ignored the way that made his cheeks flush. He had known that, of course, but he’d always ignored what it really meant. He was starting to realize how stupid that had been to do. “So have I.”

He rolled his eyes, resting his head against Roope’s shoulder again, “It’s not about to change.” He fell silent for a moment and then asked, “Do you want to use the word?”

Roope considered it for a moment. “Do you call Teukka your _boyfriend_?” When Sebastian nodded, he continued, “Then yeah, I do.”

Sebastian laughed, “You’re such an asshole. You only want it because he has it? He’s had it for years.”

“I shouldn’t be _less _than him, I was here first.” He pointed out.

Sebastian waved that off, “You never wanted to _date_ me. He actually… what do you call it? He wanted to get to know me, and _talk_. We went on _dates _and all that. _Before_ we ever slept together. You never did any of that stuff.”

Roope turned his head to look at him, “You never _wanted _any of that stuff. And it’s not my fault that I barely get to see you, and when I do, I want you to be as naked as possible.”

He opened his eyes to meet his, grinning, “You’re such a slut.”

“Can you blame me? Look at you.”

Sebastian laughed, “Can’t argue the reason. This is probably the longest I’ve had pants on from the moment I walked through that door. You could do something about that.”

“Now who’s a slut?” Roope tightened his arm around him a little more, “And I do want to get you naked, but I have to deal with Miro first.” When Sebastian started to speak, Roope put his hand over his mouth, “Don’t tell me you like an audience. I _know_ you do. If not for hockey, you would be a porn star. One of these days when they ask you that, you’re going to tell them the truth. But Miro doesn’t like it, so we’re not doing that. Go cook for us while I talk to him. And _don’t _listen in.” 

Sebastian looked at him for a moment, probably trying to think of a point to argue. When he couldn’t come up with one, he just sighed and stood up, “Fine, but don’t think just because you’re calling me your boyfriend now, you’re going to get this treatment all the time.”

Roope smiled, “I won’t get used to it.” He watched him until he disappeared into the kitchen, before heading down the hall. His bedroom door was closed, and he stopped outside of it, listening.

From inside, Miro was clearly on the phone, “_No, _I didn’t.” He insisted for what was the hundredth time if his tone was any indication. There was a pause. “You can believe me or not.” Another pause. “Why would you want to—” Pause. “You would believe—” Pause, this one with a heavy sigh.

Roope very quietly tried the door handle, and since he hadn’t locked it, stepped inside. Miro was sitting on the edge of his bed, his lower half wrapped in a towel. His phone was pressed to his ear and his eyes were closed. If he knew Roope was there, he made no indication of it.

“Fine, if you want to.” He said, into the phone, “But I don’t know why you would—” Pause. “I _said_ fine.” He opened his eyes and startled at the fact he wasn’t alone in the room. “Hold on,” He moved the phone so he could see it, and muted the call. “He wants to talk to you.”

Roope raised an eyebrow, “Is that Eeli?”

Miro nodded, “I don’t want him to know what we did. I’m just not ready to tell him anything. So, I told him we didn’t sleep together, but he doesn’t believe me.”

“That’s because you’re a bad liar. I can lie a lot better than you. Give me the phone.” He held his hand out. Miro hesitated and then handed it over. “Eeli? This is Roope. You wanted to talk to me?”

“Yeah. What happened between you and Miro last night?” Eeli’s voice was monotone and gruff, making Roope wonder if he was trying to be intimidating. If he was, it certainly didn’t work. The fact that Roope knew he was about five-foot-something eliminated that possibility before he ever opened his mouth.

“We got wasted.” He replied, which was the truth.

“And then?” Eeli pressed.

“He was on my couch. I went to bed.” That part wasn’t _exactly _a lie, since Miro had been on his couch and he had gone to bed.

“Alone?” Eeli asked.

Roope laughed, “Do I seem like the kind of guy that goes to bed alone often?” He didn’t give him a chance to answer. He’d been called those names before, he didn’t need to hear them again, “No, I wasn’t alone. My _boyfriend _is here.” The word tasted funny, but Roope was starting to think he could get used to it. And again, all of those sentences were factual truth.

Eeli was silent for a moment. “_You_ have a boyfriend?”

Roope wasn’t sure if the emphasis on ‘you’ was because he was surprised that someone would want to date him or that he would want to date someone, but either way, he didn’t like it coming from Eeli, even if either interpretation was fair and accurate. “Yeah, I do. He’s in the kitchen, if you want to talk to him next.”

“Miro never told me that.” His monotone was fading, which told Roope that Eeli was buying everything he was selling.

Roope shrugged verbally, “He’s not one to gossip.”

Eeli sighed, “Can you put him back on the phone?”

Roope handed Miro’s phone back to him with a smirk, whispering, “Hang up quick, we need to talk.”

Miro nodded and pressed the phone to his ear, “Okay now?” He paused, listening for a long moment. “I love you, too.” He smiled, “I’ll be home tonight, okay?” A pause. “Yeah, okay. Bye.” He ended the call and tossed his phone to the nightstand, “Thanks.”

Roope shrugged, “I didn’t lie to him.”

Miro looked at him quizzically, “You’re calling him your _boyfriend_ now?”

“Mmhmm.” He sat on the bed beside him, “That’s part of what we need to talk about.”

Miro sighed, “You don’t want to be with me anymore.” It wasn’t a question, it sounded more like resignation, as if he had been expecting this for a while and had come to terms with it. Which in reality was almost comical, since every time he’d been _with _him, it had been an ‘affair’ and a lot of work.

Roope scoffed, “I never said that. I told you I love you. I meant that.”

Miro’s eyes snapped over to him, “What? Then what about Sebastian?”

“I love him too. He is my boyfriend and he’s not going anywhere. I’m not asking you to dump Eeli for me either. But during the season… he’ll be in Milwaukee—”

“_Nashville_.” Miro corrected, with attitude.

Roope laughed a little. Not likely, but he didn’t say that. “Okay, _Nashville_. Sepe will be in Raleigh. And we’ll be in Dallas.”

Miro frowned, mulling that over. “Are you going to tell Sebastian about this?”

“He already knows.” Roope resisted glancing over to the door, which he had left open, because he had a pretty strong feeling that Sebastian was standing in the hallway, hanging on every word.

“_Oh_.” He sighed, “And you’d want me to tell Eeli?”

Roope laughed, “I don’t think he’d take it well.”

Miro shook his head adamantly, “He’d dump me.”

“Then we don’t tell him. And when the Preds are in town, I’ll check up on Juuse and Daddy.” Miro gave an involuntary shudder at that, and Roope did all he could not to burst out laughing. He took in a deep breath before continuing, “You and I can be together _and_ you can keep Eeli.”

“You’d do that?” Miro looked hopeful.

Roope nodded, “I’m not about to make you do something I’m not willing to do.”

“But you told Sebastian _everything_.” He pointed out.

Roope shrugged, “Maybe in time you’ll tell Eeli, or maybe not. That’s really between you and him, it’s none of my business. My business is still being able to do this.” And he leaned in to kiss him. He felt Miro move closer, pressing deeper into the kiss with a soft sigh. After a moment, he pulled back, “Can you handle that?”

Miro nodded very slowly but didn’t speak. Roope wasn’t too sure if Miro really would take to the double-life and all the lying it required, but he was going to enjoy it for as long as it lasted. It could end one of two possible ways. Either Miro would tell him they had to stop, which would make this season end a lot like last season. Or Eeli would find out and break up with Miro, which wouldn’t be good for him, but would work out fine for Roope. In the end, Miro was the only one with something to lose, so it was his call on how it worked.

“I need to get dressed.” Miro’s voice was soft, and he didn’t look at Roope. “I should be getting back.”

Roope stood up, “Sepe is cooking, if you want to stay for lunch.”

Miro side-eyed him, “Did you really think I’d say yes to that?”

Roope laughed, “I hoped you would. But it wouldn’t be the first time someone called me a selfish son of a bitch, if those were the words that jumped to mind.”

He grinned a little, “Something like that. Just give me a minute, I’m going to get dressed.”

Roope gave him a confused look, “You want me to leave while you get dressed? You think you have something I haven’t seen?”

He gave a sharp sigh, “You’re distracting!”

Roope laughed, “You mean if you take that towel off, I won’t be able to stop myself from throwing you down on my bed?”

Miro nodded, “And I’d have to take another shower! You always make a mess.”

Roope grinned, “I know how to solve that. _You_ can fuck _me_. If you want me.”

Miro stared at him, “Yeah?” He bit his lower lip, moving closer to Roope, pressing up against him, “I _do_ want you.” He directed him backwards towards the bed, at the same time leaning in to kiss along his neck.

With a smirk, Roope worked the towel free, letting it hit the ground. Over Miro’s shoulder, Roope caught sight of Sebastian leaning against the doorway. He locked eyes with him, whispering beside Miro’s ear, “Fuck me.”


End file.
